Go Forth and Read

Life's timeless pleasures

One of my greatest passions in life is reading. Reading for
the sake of it, is one of life’s timeless pleasures. It is also an activity that
cuts across generations. There is evidence, admittedly anecdotal, that, in the
fast moving media-rich world we now live in, reading may be one of the
casualties. A few days ago, a British politician, who happens to be the
Secretary of State for Education, advocated renewed efforts to get children to
read more in a bid to improve literacy. While I usually do not agree with him
and his ilk in their general politics, I have to say I share this particular view. It
just shows you can’t disagree on everything!

Pirates anyone? Discover how they became a fixture in popular folklore

Fire the imagination

Books ought to have key life lessons, appeal to the
sub-conscious and not scream out their message. They should address the mind’s
eye and transport the reader. In a way, personally, I wouldn’t really care
which books children read as long as they read books. The aim should be to
avail to them the widest possible range. Some will fascinate them and others
will not gain any traction. That’s normal. The aim should be to prod them to
discover the life-long joy that comes from reading. As a child, you have
wonderfully imaginative ideas and children’s books both fuel and feed on that.

Free Books

Books are available and many places still have public
libraries. Where this service is not
available, the new media has brought many classics within easy and free reach. However,
how many people know that many of the classics, including several mentioned in
my list, are now available free online in ebook form? How many are aware of the
Gutenberg project with thousands of downloadable free classic books readable on
laptops, mobile phones and the myriad tablets currently on the market?

The secretary of state proposed that 11 year olds should
ideally read one book a week. That is 50 books a year. I could happily name 50
favourite children’s books I enjoyed in my childhood. I will restrain myself
and stick to 10.

Humour unlimited. A timeless classic

My List

·
Alice in Wonderland
by Lewis Carroll

·
Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi

·
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stephenson:
One of my all time favourites and its influence everywhere endures. If kids
today refer to pirates seen in movies, cartoons or video games, how nice would
it be for them to know the original influence of all that.

·
Animal Farm by George Orwell: You did not need
to know the politics and I had certainly never heard of the Bolsheviks or Karl
Marx when I read this but how you got so totally engrossed in all the
machinations and learnt about injustice in society.

·
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas: How
as a young boy I identified with these three young men. How when it came to the
crunch, they lived by their motto "tous
pour un, un pour tous" (all
for one, one for all). How you warmed to
the camaraderie and the sense of belonging.

·
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe: the sheer
force of Crusoe’s adventure kept you engrossed and you went back again and
again to cheer him on as he battled seemingly impossible odds.

·
The wind in the Willows: I did not grow up in
England and this book allowed me to imagine this then mystical land as vividly
described in the book. The seasons and above all, the four main (animal) characters
and their inter-twining adventures with the moral sub-text. Magical stuff.

·
King Solomon’s Mines by H Rider Haggard: A
breathtaking adventure in deep unexplored Africa with Allan Quartermain and his
native guide, the tall regal and incredibly brave Umbopa. How you cheered them
on. You just couldn’t put it down.

·
A Tramp Abroad by Mark Twain: Probably the
only non-fiction book I thoroughly enjoyed as a child and that seared itself in
my memory.. The relentless humour is such that you can read it again and again.

·
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain: Yes, Mark Twain appears twice
in my list of top ten childhood favourites. As a boy, just about to come of
age, I identified a lot with Tom and that is despite the great geographical and
cultural differences. It is mainly a boys’ story but I am sure girls did and
still do enjoy it just as much.

Tell Us Yours

My children do read. I would hope that the habit has taken
root. They have, on their own, found Harry Porter, Rick Riordan’s Percy
Jackson, Artemis Fowl and many others.

I invite fellow
Hubbers to share with everybody the books they read as children, in that 8-13
year old age range and that had a lasting impression. You can give us one, two
or ten titles; your call. If you are so inclined, tell us briefly why.

If you
have children, what has been your experience regarding their reading? I do hope we can carry the torch for the joys
of reading and make it realistic to have the Kindle as a favourite
Birthday/Christmas present to the youngsters.

Comments

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sending

Amelia Blick 6 years agofrom UK

Thanks, I really enjoyed your post. I agree, reading is a joy and it fires the imagination. It's a shame that the recent cuts have meant that several public libraries are facing the possibility of being closed down though. It's a shame because every child should be able to visit their local library.